Now you have to actually choose a college among the schools that accepted you.

Unless you landed a full-ride scholarship, are independently wealthy or the college directly recruited you, choosing a college probably includes sifting through a few financial aid award letters.

Here are a few things you need to know about financial aid award letters.

What’s in it

As far as letters go, there’s not much in a financial aid award letter. But there’s enough to alter your entire college decision.

According to Jodi Okun, founder of College Financial Aid Advisors, financial aid award letters include the cost of the college (such as tuition, fees, room, board, books and transportation), scholarship and grant offerings and student loans and work-study options that you’re eligible for. Initially, this information is unofficial, however.

“Unofficial here means that this is what you’re going to possibly get based on the information they have so far,” Okun says. “In order to make it official, the parents might need to go through the verification process.”

Since the award letter takes into account information from the FAFSA, and the FAFSA can be based on estimates, the award could fluctuate based on how accurate those estimates were. If it checks out, though, this letter will likely be accurate in its numbers.

A few acronyms and terms you may come across on this letter that you should know, according to Fastweb, may include:

COA: cost of attendance

EFC: expected family contribution — what the college expects your family can contribute to your schooling costs

Gift aid: Financial aid that does not need to be repaid, such as grants or scholarships

Net cost: The difference between the cost of attendance and the need-based financial aid package

Not all financial aid award letters include the same depth of information, though, despite efforts to achieve uniformity by the U.S. Department of Education. And that’s where it gets tricky.

What to be careful about

This lack of consistency between financial aid award letters creates problems. Here are a few complications you may come across, as pointed out by FinAid.org:

What’s included in the COA (cost of attendance) on these letters may vary between colleges. It may just mean tuition and fees, or it could mean tuition, fees, room and board. It may include other costs, such as transportation, books, supplies and personal expenses. And who can really guess how much you’ll spend on things like groceries? The school may even merely give one total cost for all of this. Okun says, “They do separate these costs sometimes, but not all schools do. Sometimes, you have to separate them manually.”

Some of these figures may change in following years. For example, the Stafford Loan is typically a different amount for freshmen than it is sophomores. Your award letter only represents the time frame it indicates.

What to do after reading it

If you don’t understand something on the award letter, reach out to the financial aid office of the college. “Financial aid officers are there to help,” Okun says. “They’ll do anything and really want to make the experience the best for students. Introduce yourself and get to know them. They’re going to be your friend over the next four or five years.”

After that, you’re going to need to decide how much you’re going to accept from the school’s offer. You don’t have to accept it all. Just because a school offers you a large student loan amount — either a federal loan or institutional loan — doesn’t mean you have to take it.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll more easily be able to compare colleges, choose one and finally relax for a few months before the excitement and chaos of freshman year begins.

Jon Fortenbury is an Austin-based freelance writer who covers higher education and health. He’s been published by the likes of the Huffington Post and TheAtlantic.com and is a featured contributor to Schools.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonwrites.